Black Sites conjures burly proto metal riffs and vibey grooves, whiplash thrash, moody ambience, and the stately expanse of modern and classic prog. Consumer ads to be placed in main music magazines, newspapers and non-music related magazines Street team promo with poster and flyer campaigns in prime cities. Online marketing on major websites in every country. Mark Sugar was a founding member of Chicago modern thrashers Trials, who released 3 albums independently between 2011 and 2015. Their final album, “This Ruined World,” connected with metal fans worldwide

An aura of mystique surrounds Black Sites. The band is a super group of sorts, featuring some of Chicago’s finest players from the underground metal scene. The band features former Trials-members Mark Sugar (vocals/guitar) and Ryan Bruchert (guitar), plus John Picillo from Without Waves and Immortal Birds on bass, and Chris Avgerin, formerly of Autonomy and Lost Dog, on drums. The four-piece band draws inspiration from a panoramic pedigree of classic and modern metal and hard rock influences including Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, 1970s Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Fates Warning, Motörhead, Queensrÿche, Voivod, Hammers Of Misfortune, and Dawnbringer. The 9-track album opens the elegantly elegiac piano interlude M Fisto Waltz which eventually lunges for the jugular with lacerating guitars. In Monochrome’s first official track, Dead Languages,unfurls the album’s manifesto of musical intent. Packed within its 5:23 minutes the band traverse Sabbath-y grooves, agile progressive rock drums, Thin Lizzy-esque guitar harmonies, sinister guttural vocals, and soaring melodic vocals. Other album standouts include Hunter/Gatherer, Burning Away The Day, and Locked Out Shut Down. Hunter/Gatherer opens with a darkly classical acoustic guitar figure and plaintive, clean vocals. It’s a storyteller song that uses dramatic dynamics to convey the narrative.

Within the epic are slight nods to vintage Mercyful Fate, Trouble and Queensrÿche. Burning Away The Day is an instrumental tour de force with savage 1970s hard rock drums and fleet-fingered guitar solo playing that explodes with classical melodicism and proto-shred flash. The relentless pummel of Locked Out Shut Down evinces Sugar’s thrash roots. As anticipation builds for the band, and Black Sites releases its debut long player and plays its first shows ever, Sugar is reflective. After all, in the span of a year he’s gone from no band to a new band with an irresistible old school aesthetic. “I remember driving in my car listening to the final album and just feeling so relieved and excited to hear these songs come to life,” he says. “I learned a lot during this time. I learned how to keep an open mind and stay focused. I feel like this is the best thing I’ve ever done.”